Share this:

31 Beers at Firestone Invitational

Just a Shred of What Was Poured at Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival 2018

The annual Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival is certainly the best beer festival on the Central Coast and probably the best affair of its kind in California, which puts it high in the running for best on the planet. I’ve heard that it sells out in about 20 minutes each year.

The 2018 edition featured 58 breweries from around the globe (New Zealand, Italy, Germany, Indiana, Michigan, etc.) serving anywhere from two to 10 different beers. Some particularly coveted producers — such as Side Project, Garage Project, Three Floyds, Creature Comforts, and so forth — attract hour-long lines for a just a couple sips of beer.

Luckily for me and my companion Dr. Cracker — who has attended the fest with me for the past three years, and this time had to use his medical chops to assist with a massive car accident near Gonzalez on his way down 101 from the Bay Area — we get in an hour earlier due to my media status, which makes tasting so many beers before noon possible. This year, in a rare feat of diligent beer fest reporting, I managed to write down every one of the 31 beers I tasted. (I did not write down the food, although Eureka!’s 28 day-aged sliders were fantastic.)

That sounds like a lot, but I barely scratched the surface of what was on hand. Once the hordes are let in at noon, it’s fascinating to see which breweries are responsible for the longest lines, with people quite literally sprinting to queue up. This year, I’d say Side Project — a Missouri-based brewer I once wrote about for Beer Advocate — caused the biggest commotion.

Here is my list of beers in the order that I tried them. My favorites were the Birrificio del Ducato’s Settembre, Creature Comforts’ Tritonia with cucumber and lime, and Side Project’s Bleuet du Fermier Blend #3. I guess I concur with those waiting in that long line!